On the Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday I got a call from Yaoundé asking if I had any ideas for projects that might be interesting for the Ambassador to see when she came north.  Ambassador Janet Garvey would be in Garoua for the Swearing-In Ceremony of the latest group of Agro-Health trainees scheduled for the following week.  The plan called for her to arrive on Wednesday for the Thursday ceremony.  She would like to take the opportunity of her visit to see the work being done by a Peace Corps volunteer.  I offered several suggestions.  Other volunteers in the area were asked for suggestions also.  Her schedule was being formulated and no decisions had been made on what she would like to see.  I heard nothing more throughout the Holiday Weekend.

            On Tuesday, December 2 I was informed by the Embassy and Peace Corps Administration that my suggestions were selected and could I please send a detailed itinerary with times and locations, and other information about my post.  YIPES STRIPES!!!!  I had one day to organize the visit, notify the projects, plan each site activity, identify participants and keep Yaoundé informed of progress. 

            A visit by the US Ambassador is big deal!  Everyone I asked about participating quickly agreed and they were in awe that the U.S Ambassador would be coming to visit them.  Controlling panic and excitement was a major task.  I planned to show the Ambassador 3 sites in the city.  I hoped this would give her a good cross-section of the type of work being done. 

            At noon on Wednesday, December 3 I arrived at the Hotel Touristique in the Quartier Roumdé-Adjia with Ammadou, the Associate Peace Corps Director for the Northern Provinces.  We met the Ambassador and the Peace Corps Country Director James Ham.  Everything was ready, I hoped.

            The first stop was at the residence of one of the members of FEPES (Femmes Portant L’Espoir – Women Bringing Hope).  FEPES is a GIC working to reduce illiteracy and increase revenue of rural, poor women.  I was in the process of training the officers of this GIC on how to start and run a small enterprise, with the goal that they in turn would teach the material to their target audience.  The class is held under a tree, with a blackboard placed on rocks and leaning on the tree.  For the Ambassador, the GIC invited a group of 15 – 20 women to meet the ambassador.  They sang “A Jabamma” (“Welcome”) as we entered the concession. The women sat timidly as we described to the Ambassador and her entourage the project, our work so far and our plans for the future.  The Ambassador spoke a few words to us all, and then she went into the group to take questions and talk to them individually.  A translator helped bridge the language barrier.  We ended the event with a drink of natural juice made by one of the women.

            The next stop was PARFAR, a multi-provincial government project aimed at developing economic infrastructure in the Grand North.  This is my host organization.  This is an organization of well educated, government professionals.  They greeted her formally in front of the office building as we arrived.  In my nervousness, during the introduction of the Management Committee I mispronounced each person’s name.  Very embarrassing, but they took it in good humor.  A Powerpoint presentation was delivered, and after the Director and the Ambassador spoke, I was asked to say some words.  Fortunately, just before noon one of my PARFAR colleagues asked about my speech, and I rushed to put together some thoughts hoping that my French had evolved enough to not totally humiliate myself. I think I did OK.  Again following the presentations the Ambassador mixed with staff, each person wanted a picture with her and we had to take the ritual group photo (photo de famille).

            The final stop was the CPFF, Centre de la Promotion de la Femme et la Famille (Center for the Support of Women and Families), in Garoua to see a development project in an urban setting.  The Center is adjacent to the Petit Marché (Small Market – in fact it’s pretty large) in the Quartier Yelwa.  The Center serves the city’s poor women and girls.  It is well managed by Mme Haoua, but it is under funded and lacks sufficient resources.  I teach Business Classes here and provide advice to the local entrepreneurs – men and women). We met the young girls taking computer classes – 30 students with only 1 computer, we met some local women from the market - many of whom had taken a business class with me or I had advised on developing their ideas.  We also visited the Health Clinic, the Family Planning Center and the one and only class room.  The Ambassador shared juice and cookies with everyone, and she spoke informally to the people who had come.

            In this hierarchical society, the fact the US Ambassador would come to visit made a tremendous impression.  The fact that she was accessible and informal, and willing to talk and listen to individuals made an even greater impression.  In a social environment where even looking directly at the Chief can be a faux pas, the American habit of treating people as equals, while respecting their position, is a powerful example that did not go unnoticed by any of the participants. 

            My goal was to show Ambassador Garvey a project at the rural level, a regional project that spanned 3 Provinces, and an urban project targeting the city’s lowest economic class.  Each site was thrilled to receive the ambassador welcoming her with warmth, appreciation, and of course, respect.  I think the tour went pretty well, although I did forget to plan for the fact that I would have to speak at each site.  I wrote a quick speech for the PARFAR visit, and then danced through the Master of Ceremony role I had to play at each of the 3 sites (thank you Arthur Murray Dance Studios). 

            A memorable day for sure!!!!